The present disclosure relates to a lift structure that is mounted onto the frame of an inboard/outboard pontoon boat that has an onboard engine. The lift structure is used for raising the pontoon boat above the water level of a lake or other body of water in which the boat is used, when the boat is to be docked.
There are boat lift structures that have four pivoting legs that are mounted onto the four corners of a pontoon boat frame and which legs can be pivoted into a position wherein the boat is lifted. These lifts have been shown in a number of different art patents including Hodapp U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,034 and U.S. publication No. 2009-0235857, and a series of patents to Derner exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,835.
In general these existing “on board” lift structures disclose a plurality of legs which are pivotally mounted onto the boat frame and can be moved from a stowed position wherein the legs are generally parallel to the deck of the boat and underneath the boat, to an extended position where the legs pivot downwardly until the legs are relatively upright, to raise the boat after pads at the outer end of the legs engage the bottom of the body of water. Hydraulic actuators or electric actuators can be used for operating the pivoting legs.
The operation of the pivoting legs can be done in pairs, or individually, in the prior art. However, when the pontoon boat has an onboard engine, the engine support housing or pod projects below the deck at the rear of the boat and is in the way of pivoting legs at the rear.